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| United States Patent |
5,517,007
|
|
Morgan
|
May 14, 1996
|
Three variable reference chart and calculator
Abstract
Disclosed is a manually operable calculator for determining a fourth value
on the basis of three variables. According to one example, the calculator
is used to determine the total storage available for a recording medium
consisting of several units, such as hard disks or magneto optical disks.
Specifically, values for total storage are displayed in response to
inputting the capacity of each disk, the number of disks and the data
recording rate. According to the invention, the calculator comprises a
slide member upon which two rotating wheels are mounted along a common
axis of rotation. The slide and wheels each have indicia corresponding to
the three variables printed thereon. The indicia on the wheels is selected
by rotation while the indicia on the slide is selected by moving the slide
within a sleeve having openings formed therein.
| Inventors:
|
Morgan; Oliver F. (San Jose, CA)
|
| Assignee:
|
Sony Corporation (Tokyo, JP);
Sony Electronics Inc. (Park Ridge, NJ)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
305303 |
| Filed:
|
September 15, 1994 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
235/70A; 235/58R; 235/83; 283/65 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G06G 001/02 |
| Field of Search: |
235/70 R,70 A,58 R,78 R,88 R,425,83
283/65
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4149068 | Apr., 1979 | Simon | 235/78.
|
| 4233768 | Nov., 1980 | Bromberg | 235/70.
|
| 5310996 | May., 1994 | Canal et al. | 235/78.
|
Primary Examiner: Dougherty; Thomas M.
Assistant Examiner: Stanzione; Patrick J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kananen; Ronald P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A calculator comprising:
a sleeve having a first and a second opening formed therein;
a sliding member positioned substantially within the sleeve, said sliding
member having a first set of indicia printed on a surface thereof
representing a first set of values for a first variable, said first set of
indicia being such that one of said first set of values is selectively
exposed through said first opening by moving said sliding member in said
sleeve whereby a value for said first variable is selected;
a first rotary member mounted on the sliding member within the sleeve, the
first rotary member being rotatable to align the first rotary member in a
fixed position relative to said sliding member, said first rotary member
having a second set of indicia printed on a surface thereof representing a
second set of values for a second variable, the second set of values being
selectively alignable with respect to said sliding member whereby a second
one of the second set of values is selected;
a second rotary member mounted on the sliding member in axial alignment
with the first rotary member, said second rotary member having a third set
of indicia printed on a surface thereof representing a third set of values
for a third variable, the third set of values being selectively alignable
with respect to said first rotary member whereby one of the third set of
values is selected; and
a fourth set of indicia representing a fourth set of predetermined values
calculated as a function of said first, second and third variables, said
predetermined values being observable through said second opening of said
sleeve upon selection of a values for said first, second and third
variables.
2. The calculator according to claim 1 wherein the fourth set of indicia
comprise a spiral-shaped mark printed on the second rotary member and
extending from the rotational axis thereof, and a scale of values printed
on the front of the sleeve adjacent to the second opening, the
spiral-shaped mark having a gradient calculated to indicate a value when a
point on the spiral-shaped mark is compared to the scale of values printed
on the sleeve, the gradient being calculated as a function of the selected
values for said first, second and third variables.
3. The calculator according to claim 1 wherein the fourth set of indicia
comprise a plurality of spiral-shaped marks having different colors
printed on the second rotary member and extending from the rotational axis
of the second rotary member and a corresponding plurality of colored
scales of values printed on the front of the sleeve adjacent to the second
opening, each spiral-shaped mark having a gradient calculated to indicate
a value when a point on the spiral-shaped mark is compared to one of the
scales of values printed on the sleeve, the gradient being calculated as a
function of the selected values for said first, second and third
variables.
4. The calculator according to claim 1 wherein the calculator selectively
displays total storage available on a plurality of digital storage
devices, wherein the first variable represents a data recording rate, the
second variable represents the number of said storage devices and the
third variable represents the storage capacity of each storage device,
whereby the total amount of storage available is the product of said
first, second and third variable.
5. The calculator according to claim 4 further comprising additional
openings formed on the front surface of the sleeve, the openings
selectively exposing additional indicia representing values for
compression ratio, data rate and storage which are dependent on the first,
second and third variables.
6. The calculator according to claim 4 wherein the data storage devices
comprise magnetic hard disks or magneto optical disks.
7. The calculator according to claim 6 wherein the data storage devices
store video data which is available to an editing workstation.
8. The calculator according to claim 1 wherein both the sliding member and
the sleeve have recesses formed in side portions thereof, the recesses
exposing peripheral portions of the first and second rotary members.
9. The calculator according to claim 8 wherein said first and second rotary
members each have a plurality of indentations formed on at least a portion
of the outer peripheral edge thereof, the indentations being formed to
accommodate fingers of a user of the device.
10. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media comprising:
a sleeve having a front surface and a rear surface;
a sliding member positioned substantially within the sleeve, the sliding
member having a first alignment portion and a second alignment portion;
a first set of indicia printed on the sliding member representing a first
set of values corresponding to file size or recording rate;
a first opening formed in the front surface of the sleeve in alignment with
the first set of indicia whereby a value for file size or recording rate
is selectively exposed upon moving the sliding member within the sleeve;
a first rotary member mounted on the sliding member within the sleeve, the
first rotary member having a rotary alignment portion whereby the first
rotary member is rotatable to align the rotary alignment portion with the
first alignment portion of the sliding member;
a second rotary member mounted on the sliding member in axial alignment
with the first rotary member;
a second set of indicia printed on the first rotary member representing a
second set of values corresponding to the total number of recording media,
the second set of values being selectively alignable with the second
alignment portion of the sliding member whereby a second one of the second
set of values is selected;
a third set of indicia printed on the second rotary member representing a
third set of values corresponding to the storage capacity of each of the
recording media, the second rotary member being rotatable to move the
third set of indicia proximate the rotary alignment portion of the first
rotary member whereby one of the third set of values is selected; and
a second opening in the sleeve in alignment with indicia representing
predetermined values for the total storage capacity of the recording
media, each total storage value corresponding to selected combinations of
the first, second and third values wherein each total storage value is the
product of selected ones of the first, second and third values.
11. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 wherein said sliding member includes
an end portion extending from the sleeve for moving the sliding member
within the sleeve.
12. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 wherein the indicia representing the
total storage values comprise a spiral-shaped mark printed on the second
rotary member and extending from the rotational axis thereof, and a scale
of values printed on the front of the sleeve adjacent to the second
opening, the spiral-shaped mark having a gradient calculated to indicate
total storage time when a point on the spiral-shaped mark is compared to
the scale of values printed on the sleeve, the gradient being calculated
as a function of the first, second and third values.
13. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 wherein the indicia representing the
total storage values comprise a plurality of spiral-shaped marks having
different colors printed on the second rotary member and extending from
the rotational axis of the second rotary member and a corresponding
plurality of colored scales of values printed on the front of the sleeve
adjacent to the second opening, each spiral-shaped mark having a gradient
calculated to indicate total storage time when a point on the
spiral-shaped mark is compared to one of the scales of values printed on
the sleeve, the gradient being calculated as a function of the first,
second and third values.
14. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 further comprising additional
openings formed on the front surface of the sleeve, the openings
selectively exposing additional indicia printed on the sliding member
representing predetermined values corresponding to the calculated total
storage time.
15. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 14 wherein the additional indicia
including values for compression ratio, data rate and storage.
16. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 wherein the data storage media
comprise a plurality of magnetic hard disks or magneto optical disks.
17. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 10 wherein the sleeve has recesses
formed in side portions thereof, the recesses exposing peripheral portions
of the first and second rotary members whereby the first and second rotary
members can be rotated.
18. A manually operable device for calculating total storage capacity of
recording media according to claim 17 wherein said first and second rotary
members each have a plurality of indentations formed on at least a portion
of the outer peripheral edge thereof, the indentations being formed to
accommodate fingers of a user of the device.
19. A method of manually determining the total storage available on a data
storage media made up of a plurality of storage disks comprising the steps
of:
calculating a set of values corresponding to total storage time dependent
on a first range of disk sizes, a second range of data recording rates,
and a third range of total numbers of disks;
providing a sleeve having a front surface and a rear surface, the front
surface having a first opening and a second opening formed therein;
providing a sliding member positioned substantially within the sleeve, the
sliding member having a first alignment portion and a second alignment
portion, the sliding member having a first set of indicia printed thereon
in a position which is exposable through the first opening and a second
set of indicia printed thereon in a position which is exposable through
the second opening, wherein the first set of indicia corresponds to the
second range of data recording rates and the second set of indicia
corresponds to the calculated values of total storage time;
providing a first rotary member mounted in the sliding member within the
sleeve, the first rotary member having a rotary alignment portion and
having a third set of indicia printed thereon which correspond to the
third range of total numbers of disks;
providing a second rotary member mounted on the sliding member in axial
alignment with the first rotary member, the second rotary member having a
fourth set of indicia printed thereon which correspond to the first range
of disk sizes;
rotating the first rotary member until the rotary alignment portion thereof
is adjacent to the first alignment portion of the sliding member;
selecting a value for disk size from the first range by rotating the second
rotary member while maintaining the first rotary member in alignment with
the sliding member;
subsequent to selecting disk size, moving the sliding member until a
desired recording rate from the second range is exposed through the first
opening;
subsequent to selecting disk size and recording rate, selecting a value for
the number of disks from the third range by simultaneously rotating both
the first and second rotary members while maintaining the position of the
sliding member; and
observing the value of the storage time indicated through the second
opening.
20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the indicia representing the
total storage values comprise a spiral-shaped mark printed on the second
rotary member and extending from the rotational axis thereof, and a scale
of values printed on the front of the sleeve adjacent to the second
opening, the spiral-shaped mark having a gradient calculated to indicate
total storage time when a point on the spiral-shaped mark is compared to
the scale of values printed on the sleeve, the gradient being calculated
as a function of the first, second and third values.
21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the indicia representing the
total storage values comprise a plurality of spiral-shaped marks having
different colors printed on the second rotary member and extending from
the rotational axis of the second rotary member and a corresponding
plurality of colored scales of values printed on the front of the sleeve
adjacent to the second opening, each spiral-shaped mark having a gradient
calculated to indicate total storage time when a point on the
spiral-shaped mark is compared to one of the scales of values printed on
the sleeve, the gradient being calculated as a function of the first,
second and third values.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a manually operated device for calculating the
amount of storage available on recording media such as magnetic disks or
magneto optical (MO) disks. More particularly, this invention relates to
method and apparatus for manually determining total available storage
depending on the bit rate, the disk capacity and the total number of
disks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In various applications, recording media, such as "hard" disks or MO disks,
are used to store a relatively large, finite amount of data. Often, the
total capacity of such recording media is known in terms of the total
amount of data available per medium. The total storage is then the product
of this amount and the total number of media.
In many applications, it is inconvenient to express total available storage
in this manner. For example, in applications relating to the storage of
video or audio data, it is much more convenient to express available
storage in terms of the available recording time which is a function of
the recording rate, the disk capacity, and the total number of disks. That
is, it is more convenient to express the total available storage in as the
product of the recording rate, the capacity per disk and the total number
of disks.
In relatively simple applications in which the recording rate and the total
amount of recording space is substantially fixed, expressing available
storage in terms of recording time is relatively straightforward. However,
in more complicated systems, such as those utilizing a video editing
workstation, several different recording rates, disk capacities and total
number of disks are available. For example, a particular workstation may
have the capability of processing several different video formats which
utilize different data rates, such as double speed CDROM, HDTV SDI, or
OC-12. Moreover, the video system might be used in conjunction with
different types of storage media having different capacities. Further, the
number of such media might vary. With such systems, it becomes burdensome
for the operator to calculate available storage for different formats
and/or different combinations of storage media.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a more convenient
method and apparatus to calculate available storage for a data storage
system based on the file size, number of disks and total storage of disks.
In particular, there is a need to provide a manually operable calculator
to more readily determine available storage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Directed to achieving the foregoing objects and aims of the present
invention, disclosed is a manually operable device for calculating total
storage capacity of recording media comprising: a sleeve having a front
surface and a rear surface; a sliding member positioned substantially
within the sleeve, the sliding member having a first alignment portion and
a second alignment portion; a first set of indicia printed on the sliding
member representing a first set of values corresponding to file size or
recording rate; a first opening formed in the front surface of the sleeve
in alignment with the first set of indicia whereby a value for file size
or recording rate is selectively exposed upon moving the sliding member
within the sleeve; a first rotary member mounted on the sliding member
within the sleeve, the first rotary member having a rotary alignment
portion whereby the first rotary member is rotatable to align the rotary
alignment portion with the first alignment portion of the sliding member;
a second rotary member mounted on the sliding member in axial alignment
with the first rotary member; a second set of indicia printed on the first
rotary member representing a second set of values corresponding to the
total number of recording media, the second set of values being
selectively alignable with the second alignment portion of the sliding
member whereby a second one of the second set of values is selected; a
third set of indicia printed on the second rotary member representing a
third set of values corresponding to the storage capacity of each of the
recording media; the second rotary member being rotatable to move the
third set of indicia proximate the rotary alignment portion of the first
rotary member whereby one of the third set of values is selected; and a
second opening in the sleeve in alignment with indicia representing
predetermined values for the total storage capacity of the recording
media, each total storage value corresponding to selected combinations of
the first, second and third values wherein each total storage value is the
product of selected ones of the first, second and third values.
According to one aspect of the invention the indicia representing the total
storage values comprise a plurality of spiral-shaped marks having
different colors printed on the second rotary member and extending from
the rotational axis of the second rotary member and a corresponding
plurality of colored scales of values printed on the front of the sleeve
adjacent to the second opening, each spiral-shaped mark having a gradient
calculated to indicate total storage time when a point on the
spiral-shaped mark is compared to one of the scales of values printed on
the sleeve, the gradient being calculated as a function of the first,
second and third values.
According to another aspect of the invention, the device further includes
additional openings formed on the front surface of the sleeve, the
openings selectively exposing additional indicia printed on the sliding
member representing predetermined values corresponding to the calculated
total storage time. These additional indicia include values for
compression ratio, data rate and storage.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the sleeve has recesses
formed in side portions thereof, the recesses exposing peripheral portions
of the first and second rotary members whereby the first and second rotary
members can be rotated.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the first and second
rotary members each have a plurality of indentations formed on at least a
portion of the outer peripheral edge thereof, the indentations being
formed to accommodate fingers of a user of the device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is front view of a sleeve according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the sleeve of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a elevational view of a sheet which forms the sleeve of FIGS. 1
and 2.
FIG. 4 is a profile of a sliding member according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a profile view of a lower wheel according to the invention.
FIG. 6 is a profile view of an upper wheel according to the invention.
FIG. 7 is a front view of an assembled sliding member, lower wheel and
upper wheel, each having printed indicia thereon, according to the
invention.
FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate a first example of the operation of a manually
operable calculator according to the invention.
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a second example of the operation of a manually
operable calculator according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1 to 8 show the components of a preferred embodiment of the
invention. As described in detail below, this embodiment includes a slide
4 onto which an upper wheel 6 and a lower wheel 8 are attached at a common
axis of rotation. The slide 4 and wheels 6, 8 are inserted into a sleeve
25. A complete calculator 1 according to the invention is described with
reference to FIGS. 9 to 12.
FIGS. 1 to 3 together show a sleeve 2. In this example, the sleeve 2
consists of a single sheet folded to form a front portion 25 and a rear
portion 50. As shown in FIG. 3 the sheet which comprises the sleeve is
folded along a crease 32. The front of the sleeve 25 is then joined to the
rear of the sleeve 50 by folding tabs 34, 36 underneath the rear portion
of the sleeve 50 and adhering the surface of the tabs to the surface of
the rear of the sleeve. In this way a sleeve is formed having closed sides
and open top and bottom portions.
The sleeve 2 includes a left side recess 26, a right side recess 28 and a
bottom recess 30. Formed into the front surface of the sleeve 25 are a
series of openings. A first opening 38 forms a narrow rectangular slot in
the front surface 25. In this example, the opening 38 is marked by a scale
under the caption "Minutes of Storage." Points on the scale are identified
by three columns of values 40, 42, 44. Preferably, these columns are
identified by color-coding, for example the first column 40 being printed
in blue, the second column 42 being printed in red and the third column 44
being printed in black. As shown the columns of values together define a
scale ranging from 5 to 5,000 minutes.
The front of the sleeve 25 further includes three openings formed on a top
portion thereof and four additional openings formed on a bottom portion.
The openings 46, 48, 52, formed on the top portion adjoin three respective
captions. The first two openings 46, 48 refer to particular Sony models of
video work stations, specifically the DES-500 and the DES500P work
stations. The first of these openings 46 identifies in kilobytes a file
size, while the second of these openings 48 identifies file size in units
of 25 fps. The third of these openings 52 identifies recording rate in
minutes per gigabyte (GB). The openings at the bottom portion 54, 56, 58,
60 are used to provide information relating respectively to compressions
ratio, data rate and storage.
FIG. 2 shows a rear portion 50 of the sleeve 2. As shown, the rear portion
50 is provided with information describing the use of the calculator
according to the invention. This information is explained in more detail
below. Also provided in a darker shaded portion 62 are values for data
rates commonly used in different video formats, such as DS-1 (T1), RF at 6
MHz, third level E751, D-3 (T3) and so forth.
FIG. 4 shows a front view of a slide member 4. As shown the slide member 4
is a thin, substantially rectangular shaped planar member cut to fit
snugly in the sleeve 2 between the front portion 25 and the rear portion
50 thereof. More particularly, the slide 4 is proportioned so as to be
moveable up and down within the sleeve 2. The slide 4 includes a recess 76
and two semi-circular recess portions 78, 80. The latter portions define
an alignment tab 79 therebetween. A cross hair 82 identifies a portion in
a central region of the slide 4 upon which the upper wheel 6 and the lower
wheel 8 are attached.
A front profile of the lower wheel 8 is shown in FIG. 5. This component
comprises a thin, substantially circular, planar member. The outer
periphery of the lower wheel 8 has a plurality of recesses 84 formed
therein. As explained in more detail below, these recesses 84 form
indentations in which a user of the calculator 1 may place his fingers to
more easily rotate the wheel. The lower wheel 8 has a central portion
identified by a cross hair 86. A rotational axis is formed in this central
portion.
FIG. 6 shows a front profile of an upper wheel 6. This member is a
substantially circular planar member having indentations 90 formed along
an outer peripheral portion thereof. However, a portion of the circular
shape which would otherwise define the upper wheel is cut away to reveal a
portion of the lower wheel when placed thereover. As with the lower wheel,
these recesses facilitate turning the wheel 6 using ones fingers. A hole
92 is formed in the upper wheel 6 to form a rotational axis.
FIG. 7 shows the slide 4 joined together with the lower wheel 8 and the
upper wheel 6. These components are connected along the rotational axis of
the upper wheel 6 and the lower wheel 8 with a fastener 10. The fastener
10 joins the components and provides a common rotational axis for the
upper wheel 6 and the lower wheel 4. As shown, printed indicia are located
on the slide 4, the lower wheel 8, and the upper wheel 6. The printed
indicia of the lower wheel is visible as a result of a portion of the
upper wheel being cut away as mentioned above. The slide 4 includes seven
columns of values 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, 114. These columns are
positioned to be selectively exposed respectively through openings 46, 48,
52, 54, 56, 58, 60 of the sleeve 2. More specifically, once inserted into
the sleeve 2, the slide 4 may be moved so that various values shown in
column 102 may be exposed through opening 46. The values at the bottom of
each of the columns 102 to 114 are further shaded to indicate to the user
that the bottom range of values has been reached. As will be apparent, the
recess 30 of the sleeve facilitates movement of the sliding member by
exposing a portion of the slide 4 which can be held and moved upward as
downward.
As further shown in FIG. 7, the lower wheel 8 has a series of values
(numbered 2 through 16 in this example) provided on an outer periphery
thereof. In this example, these values correspond to the number of disks.
These indicia cooperate with the rectangular shaped mark 128 which is
provided on the sliding member 4. More particularly, the lower wheel 8 can
be rotated to select one of the values located on the outer periphery of
the lower wheel 8 by moving the wheel until the desired value is adjacent
the mark 128.
Movement of the lower wheel is facilitated by the indentations 84 which are
exposed through the side recess 26 of the sleeve. The alignment mark 128
and the indicia are visible while the lower wheel is in the sleeve by
virtue of the side recess 28 of the sleeve. The lower wheel 8 further
includes a triangular shape alignment mark 126. This mark enables the user
to align the lower wheel with the slide member 4 by rotating the lower
wheel until the alignment mark 126 is placed over the tabular portion 79
of the slide 4. In this way the mark 126 and the tabular portion 79 define
alignment portions by which the slide 4 and the lower wheel 8 can be
aligned. Again, these alignment portions are visible to the user when the
slide and the wheels are in the sleeve as a result of recess 28.
The upper wheel 6 includes printed values located along an outer periphery
thereof. In the example shown, these values range from 1 to 18.2 and
correspond to data medium size. An operator may rotate the upper wheel
independently of the lower wheel so that one of these printed values 1 to
18.2 can be selected by aligning the value next to the alignment mark 126
of the lower wheel 8. Again, rotation is facilitated by the indentations
90. Further, the values for the data medium are visible when the upper
wheel is in the sleeve 4 by virtue of recess 28.
Further shown on the upper wheel 6 are three spiral shaped marks 116, 118,
120 which extend from the center of the upper wheel 6. Preferably, these
marks are color-coded to correspond with the columns of values 40, 42, 44
printed on the front surface of the sleeve 2. For example, the spiral mark
116 might be colored blue while the spiral mark 118 colored red and the
spiral mark 120 colored black. As the upper wheel is rotated, the mark
appearing through the rectangular opening 38 of the sleeve indicates the
value of minutes of storage, the appropriate scale being determined by the
color of the mark.
In this example, the values for the total storage time was calculate as a
function of three variables--the capacity per disk, the number of disks,
and the recording rate. As understood in the art, file size for the
DES-500 workstation may be used in calculating the total capacity instead
of recording rate (both options are available in the example described
herein. Corresponding compression ratios, data rates and storage values
were also calculated. Once storage values were calculated as a function of
disk size, disk number and file size, the necessary scales and gradient of
the spiral marks were calculated. The techniques by which these
calculations were performed are summarized in the following tables:
TABLE A
__________________________________________________________________________
Frame Size Bit rate
Step
actual
rounded
actual PAL
rounded PAL
actual
rounded plus audio
1.25
KB/frame
KB/frame
KB/frame
KB/frame
Mbps
Mbps MBps
+3.2 Mbps
__________________________________________________________________________
0 33.0 32 39.6 40 7.9 8.0 1.0 11.1
1 41.3 40 49.5 50 9.9 10.0 1.2 13.1
2 51.6 50 61.9 60 12.4
12.5 1.5 15.6
3 64.5 65 77.3 80 15.5
15.5 1.9 18.7
4 80.6 80 96.7 100 19.3
19.5 2.4 22.5
5 100.7 100 120.8 120 24.2
24.0 3.0 27.4
6 125.9 125 151.1 150 30.2
30.0 3.8 33.4
7 157.4 160 188.8 190 37.8
38.0 4.7 41.0
8 196.7 200 236.0 235 47.2
47.0 5.9 50.4
9 245.9 250 295.0 295 59.0
59.0 7.4 62.2
10 307.3 300 368.8 370 73.8
74.0 9.2 77.0
13.7
700.0 700 840.0 840 168.0
168.0
21.0
171.2
0 38.4 38 46.1 45 9.2 9.0 1.2 12.4
1 48.0 48 57.6 55 11.5
11.5 1.4 14.7
2 60.0 60 72.0 70 14.4
14.5 1.8 17.6
3 75.0 75 90.0 90 18.0
18.0 2.3 21.2
4 93.8 95 112.5 115 22.5
22.5 2.8 25.7
5 117.2 115 140.6 140 28.1
28.0 3.5 31.3
6 146.5 145 175.8 175 35.2
35.0 4.4 38.4
7 183.1 185 219.7 220 43.9
44.0 5.5 47.1
8 228.9 230 274.7 275 54.9
55.0 6.9 58.1
9 286.1 290 343.3 350 68.7
68.5 8.6 71.9
10 357.6 350 429.2 420 85.8
86.0 10.7
89.0
__________________________________________________________________________
Ratio (to 8bit 4:2:2)
Step Storage actual
fr sz rounded
rounded again
1.25 GB/hour
min/GB 1.0:1 1.0:1 1.0:1
__________________________________________________________________________
0 3.6 16.8 21.1:1
20.6:1 21.0:1
1 4.5 13.5 17.0:1
16.5:1 17.0:1
2 5.6 10.8 13.6:1
13.2:1 13.5:1
3 7.0 8.6 10.9:1
11.0:1 11.0:1
4 8.7 6.9 8.7:1 8.6:1 9.0:1
5 10.9 5.5 7.0:1 6.9:1 7.0:1
6 13.6 4.4 5.6:1 5.5:1 5.5:1
7 17.0 3.5 4.4:1 4.5:1 4.5:1
8 21.2 2.8 3.6:1 3.6:1 3.5:1
9 26.6 2.3 2.8:1 2.9:1 2.8:1
10 33.2 1.8 2.3:1 2.2:1 2.3:1
13.7 75.6 0.8 1.0:1 1.0:1 9.3:1
0 4.1 14.5 18.2:1
18.0:1 18.5:1
1 5.2 11.6 14.6:1
14.6:1 14.5:1
2 6.5 9.3 11.7:1
11.7:1 12.0:1
3 8.1 7.4 9.3:1 9.3:1 9.5:1
4 10.1 5.9 7.5:1 7.6:1 7.5:1
5 12.7 4.7 6.0:1 5.9:1 6.0:1
6 15.8 3.8 4.8:1 4.7:1 5.0:1
7 19.8 3.0 3.8:1 3.9:1 4.0:1
8 24.7 2.4 3.1:1 3.1:1 3.0:1
9 30.9 1.9 2.4:1 2.5:1 2.5:1
10 38.6 1.6 2.0:1 1.9:1 2.0:1
__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE B
__________________________________________________________________________
Disk Sizes
Size (GB) 1.0 2.1 4.3 8.6 18.3
# of disks
1 1.0 2.1 4.3 8.6 18.3
2 2.0 4.2 8.6 17.2 36.6
3 3.0 6.3 12.9 25.8 54.9
4 4.0 8.4 17.2 34.4 73.2
5 5.0 10.5 21.5 43.0 91.5
6 6.0 12.6 25.8 51.6 109.8
8 8.0 16.8 34.4 68.8 146.4
10 10.0 21.0 43.0 86.0 183.0
12 12.0 25.2 51.6 103.2
219.6
14 14.0 29.4 60.2 120.4
256.2
16 16.0 33.6 68.8 137.6
292.8
Find the base
2.030 1.03 1.01 0.99 1.05 3.67E-04
2.035 1.03 1.01 0.98 1.05 2.77E-04
2.040 1.03 1.00 0.98 1.04 2.00E-04
2.045 1.03 1.00 0.98 1.04 1.36E-04
2.050 1.02 1.00 0.98 1.04 8.48E-05
2.055 1.02 1.00 0.97 1.04 4.56E-05
2.060 1.02 0.99 0.97 1.03 1.86E-05
2.065 1.02 0.99 0.97 1.03 3.53E-06
2.070 1.01 0.99 0.97 1.03 2.92E-07
2.075 1.01 0.99 0.96 1.03 8.69E-06
2.080 1.01 0.98 0.96 1.02 2.86E-05
best 2.070
Angles for disk multiples
actual
best
2.100
2.070
1 22.degree.
23.degree.
2 36.degree.
36.degree.
3 45.degree.
46.degree.
4 52.degree.
53.degree.
5 58.degree.
59.degree.
6 67.degree.
69.degree.
8 74.degree.
76.degree.
10 80.degree.
82.degree.
12 85.degree.
87.degree.
14 90.degree.
91.degree.
Angles for other disk sizes
size (GB)
angle
3.2 38.degree.
6.4 61.degree.
__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE C
__________________________________________________________________________
Projection
Horiz Vert Horiz Vert Horiz
Vert Horiz
Vert
__________________________________________________________________________
10 pt 9.8 1.8 9.9 1.6 9.9 1.4 9.9 1.3
20 pt 18.7 7.2 19.0 6.3 19.2 5.6 19.3 5.1
30 pt 25.6 15.7 26.6 13.9 27.3 12.5 27.8 11.3
40 pt 29.7 26.8 32.0 24.0 33.7 21.6 34.8 19.7
50 pt 30.4 39.7 34.7 36.0 37.8 32.7 40.0 30.0
60 pt 27.2 53.5 34.2 49.3 39.3 45.3 43.0 41.8
70 pt 19.8 67.2 30.2 63.1 37.9 58.9 43.6 54.8
80 pt 8.2 79.6 22.6 76.7 33.3 72.8 41.3 68.5
90 pt -7.3 89.7 11.3 89.3 25.4 86.3 36.2 82.4
100 pt -26.1 96.5 -3.5 99.9 14.3 99.0 28.2 95.9
110 pt -47.7 99.1 -21.4 107.9
0.1 110.0
17.3 108.6
Read out scale
1 0 pt 0 pt 0 pt 0 pt
2 22 pt 25 pt 28 pt 31 pt
5 50 pt 58 pt 65 pt 72 pt
10 72 pt 83 pt 93 pt 103 pt
20 94 pt 107 pt 121 pt 134 pt
50 123 pt 140 pt 158 pt 175 pt
100 144 pt 165 pt 186 pt 206 pt
200 166 pt 190 pt 214 pt 237 pt
500 195 pt 223 pt 251 pt 279 pt
Offset 184 pt
5 134 pt 126 pt 119 pt 112 pt
10 112 pt 101 pt 91 pt 81 pt
20 90 pt 77 pt 63 pt 50 pt
50 61 pt 44 pt 26 pt 9 pt
100 40 pt 19 pt -2 pt -22 pt
200 18 pt -6 pt -30 pt -53 pt
500 -11 pt -39 pt -67 pt -95 pt
Arbitrary
98
15.5 11.0 8.4 6.8
__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE D
______________________________________
Pitch
cog (angle)
15 24.degree.
base (rotary multiplier)
2.070
step (linear multiplier)
1.25
angle for 1 decade
76.0.degree.
line spacing (pts)
7 pt 8 pt 9 pt 10 pt
pitch (pts/cog) 22.8 26.1 29.3 32.6
# segment each spiral
3.9 3.5 3.1 2.8
angular segment each spiral
95.degree.
83.degree.
74.degree.
66.degree.
second scale multiple
1.16
offset to second scale
5 pt 5 pt 6 pt 7 pt
implies (for 2 scales only):
to get 4 disk-size steps and
3 #-of-disk-steps, use 8 pt line
to get 3 disk-size steps and
3 #-of-disk-steps, use 9 pt line
Angles per 10 pts
10 pt 10.5 9.2 8.2 7.4
20 pt 21.0 18.4 16.4 14.7
30 pt 31.5 27.6 24.5 22.1
40 pt 42.1 36.8 32.7 29.4
50 pt 52.6 46.0 40.9 36.8
60 pt 63.1 55.2 49.1 44.2
70 pt 73.6 64.4 57.3 51.5
80 pt 84.1 73.6 65.4 58.9
90 pt 94.6 82.8 73.6 66.2
100 pt 105.2 92.0 81.8 73.6
110 pt 115.7 101.2 90.0 81.0
Points per angular step
1 24 pt 23 pt 26 pt
29 pt
33 pt
2 48 pt 46 pt 52 pt
59 pt
65 pt
3 72 pt 68 pt 78 pt
88 pt
98 pt
4 96 pt 91 pt 104 pt
117 pt
130 pt
5 120 pt 114 pt 130 pt
147 pt
163 pt
6 144 pt 137 pt 157 pt
176 pt
196 pt
7 168 pt 160 pt 183 pt
205 pt
228 pt
8 192 pt 183 pt 209 pt
235 pt
261 pt
______________________________________
By using the assembled components shown in FIG. 7 in conjunction with the
sleeve shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, one can readily calculate the total
available storage time for a system based on the disk size, the data rate
and the number of disks. An assembled calculator 1 is shown in FIGS. 8 to
12.
Operation of the calculator 1 according to the invention is comprises the
following steps. First, using the exposed indentations 84, one rotates the
lower wheel 8 until the alignment mark 126 is aligned over the alignment
portion 29 of the slide 4. At this point, the alignment mark 126 points to
the caption "Disk Size" printed on the sleeve 2.
Second, one preferably holds the calculator in one's left hand and applies
pressure to the lower wheel 8 to maintain its position relative to the
slide 2. One then rotates the upper wheel until the desired disk size is
aligned with the mark 126. Once the disk size has been selected in this
manner, one moves the slide upward or downward to select a desired file
size in the window 46 or 48 (or equivalently, data rate in window 52).
This selection is made while maintaining the relative positions of the two
wheels on the slide.
After selection of file size (or data rate), one rotates both disks
together until the desired number of disks printed on the lower wheel 8 is
moved adjacent to the alignment mark 128 of the slide. At this point, the
total available storage is shown through the window 38. The value for
available storage is determined from the colored scales 40, 42, 44
adjacent the opening on the sleeve 2.
FIGS. 8 to 10 provide two examples of the operation of the calculator
according to the invention. FIG. 8 shows a first step in the operation of
the calculator. The lower wheel 8 is rotated until the alignment mark 126
is placed over the alignment tab 79 of the sliding member 4. Next, as
shown in FIG. 9, the disk size (in gigabytes) is selected by rotating the
upper wheel 6 while maintaining the aligned position of the lower wheel 8.
In the example shown a disk size of 3.2 GB is selected.
Once the disk size has been selected the file size (or alternatively the
recording rate) is selected by moving the slide member upward or downward
within the sleeve 2. In the example shown in FIG. 10, a recording rate of
14.5 minutes per gigabyte has been selected. This recording rate
corresponds to a file size of 38 kilobytes for a DES 500 workstation or
45.times.25 FPS for a DES-500p workstation. As shown in the darkened shade
portion of the sleeve, these values correspond to a compression ratio of
19:1, a data rate of 9 Mbps and a storage rate of 4.1 gigabytes per hour
or 12.4 Mbps.
Once the recording rate has been selected, the number of disks is then
selected by the user, as illustrated in FIG. 11. In order to select the
number of disks, the user rotates both wheels 6 and 8 together until the
desired number of disks is located adjacent to the mark 128 located on the
sliding member 4. As both disks are rotated, the red spiral mark 118
becomes aligned with the minutes of storage scale through the rectangular
opening 38. In this example, upon selection of a disk size of 3.2 GB and a
file size of 14.5 minutes per gigabyte, a disk number of 10 was input by
rotation of the wheels. As shown in FIG. 11, these three variables
correspond to approximately 350 minutes of storage, as indicated by the
red column of values 42 printed on the front surface of the sleeve 2.
FIG. 12 shows a second example in which the same disk size (3.2 GB) and
recording rate (14.5 min/GB) has been selected, but a different number of
disks. Specifically, instead of ten disks being selected as in FIG. 11, a
disk number of five was selected. This selection causes the black spiral
mark 120 to appear within the opening 38 of the sleeve. As shown, this
black mark corresponds to a value of 175 minutes of storage as shown in
the column of values 44 which is printed in black on the front surface of
the sleeve.
As shown in the foregoing examples, the present invention provides a
convenient tool for calculating the total amount of storage available in a
recording system such as a video workstation. The use of two rotating
members in conjunction with a sliding member provides a means to select
three variables in order to determine a fixed value. The use of three
scales each color-coded enables a large range of values for storage to be
displayed. For example, the use of three spiral marks provides a scale
from 5 to 200 minutes (shown in black), a range from 50 to 2,000 minutes
(shown in red) and a range of 500 to 5,000 minutes (shown in blue). While
the example shown above was specifically created for use with the DES-500
video workstation, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
the invention can be adapted for use with other recording systems.
Another advantage of the calculator according to the present invention is
its relatively inexpensive construction. For example, the calculator shown
in the drawings was constructed of a light cardboard material covered with
printed, shaded sheets. The shaded sheets were separately prepared and
then applied to each component with an adhesive.
The foregoing is a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the
invention. The scope of the invention, however, is not so limited. Various
alternatives will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The invention is only limited by the claims appended hereto.
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